Khyle Marshall added 13 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs (26-7), who
have won four straight games on the heels of losing three times in a five-game
stretch.

Butler will play top-seeded Saint Louis in Saturday's semifinals.

La Salle's top two scorers, Ramon Galloway and Sam Mills, combined for just
seven points on 2-of-18 shooting.

The Explorers (21-9), who were without center Steve Zack and outrebounded by a
41-23 margin for the contest, will be sweating out a possible NCAA Tournament
bid until Sunday.

Jerrell Wright split a pair of free throws to pull the Explorers within 39-38
early in the second half, but Butler countered with a 13-4 run to seize
control of the contest. Erik Fromm capped the burst with a layup to vault the
Bulldogs to a 52-42 cushion with 11:49 to play.

Mills' triple -- his lone field goal of the game -- cut the deficit to 64-58
with a little over five minutes left, but Clark answered with a trey of his
own and the Bulldogs weren't threatened the rest of the way.

Earlier, Kellen Dunham's 3-pointer helped Butler jump out to a 15-6 advantage,
but La Salle fought back and took its first lead when Tyrone Garland sunk
three free throws and a triple around a jumper by the Bulldogs' Kameron Woods
to give the Explorers a 32-31 edge late in the half.